We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marie Belle Pérez Rivera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marie Belle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I moved to Washington, DC in 2010 for what I thought would be a year (max) of working a soul crushing job for the government sitting in a cubicle writing memos about memos, saving money, and eventually relocating to California to follow my dreams to become a full time yoga teacher.

I had no intention of staying in the area since I considered myself to be too into nature, beaches, and quality of life decisions to live in the city. Little did I know that DC would become not just a place to work in, but also a haven of beautiful community, abundant resources, and an expansion of vision and purpose I am still in awe of and process daily.

It all happened in June 2010. I had requested (and got approved) for a week off from work to attend an Ashtanga Intensive with Manju Jois in Chicago. I had an amazing time, met beautiful people, and felt my practice and heart expand. I knew this was a practice I wanted to share. Throughout that week, my DC job kept having me perform multiple tasks even though I was approved to be on vacation. I clocked in several hours daily and obliged with all work duties even though I was supposed to be out of office. I returned to DC only to realize that my manager did not approve pay for the additional work hours I fulfilled while on vacation (ie: I was not going to be paid for the 30 hours of work I performed since I had already been approved for vacation). I was enraged, baffled, and felt so bamboozled, a voice came from within me and quit right then and there. I put in my 2 weeks notice and immediately started applying for other jobs at universities all across the city, region, and country.

A week later I heard back from Harvard Medical School. I had forgotten that the semester before taking on the DC job, I had written a grant to become a Post Doctoral fellow for them. Since I never heard back from Harvard, I figured I must not have gotten the grant. Apparently, they were waiting to secure funding and as soon as they did, they let me know I was accepted as a Post Doctoral fellow for the Fall. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. And Harvard Medical School had always been a dream of mine.

I boarded a flight and went to Boston for the interviews. I thought it would be a breeze and I would be showered with this celebratory energy as I was to sign my contracts. But no. Instead, what I experienced was one miserable graduate student followed by an overworked post doc fellow followed by an under appreciated faculty member. They shared multiple negative stories and feedback about the program, its staff, and super low graduation rates. Multiple people encouraged me to rethink this decision and consider all the drawbacks since there were so many. Given my most recent experience working for someone who didn’t respect staff, boundaries, nor professionalism, I couldn’t, in good faith, take on another contract that would lock me in to those conditions for years to come.

It was a very emotional experience for me, but I checked in with my heart and finances and couldn’t pretend I didn’t already know what was right for me. I decided to decline the Post Doctoral Fellowship at the most prestigious university and trusted what was for me would come.

I returned to DC and purchased a 2 week pass to a local yoga studio, found out who the owner was, and signed up for all of her classes. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew that my practice is its own currency and would clear the path for me. My yoga mentor had taught me that if I ever wanted to teach somewhere, I needed to practice there. If anyone ever questioned my teaching ability or where my authority to teach comes from, they should watch me practice.

So that’s what I did.

I showed up, unrolled my mat, and practiced with the owner. During my first practice with her she asked me who I was and what I was about. She asked if I had ever considered teaching yoga. I shared with her that I had a 200 Hour Certificate and could teach Ashtanga Mysore in the mornings and weekends. I was happy to sub evening classes. She lit up and said that she had this dream of opening up a third location but didn’t have the teachers to staff the vision. The fact that I practice and teach Ashtanga assured that I would be a daily presence in the new location- perfect for building community. I couldn’t believe how easy and straightforward it all was.

A week later The George Washington University in DC reached out and informed me that they had multiple classes available for me to teach in the Psychology Department and the Sociology Department.

It all started making sense. My psychology background mixed with my yoga practice became an asset and career in ways I never saw coming. Less than a month out from my resignation, I had 2 new jobs: yoga teacher by day, psychology professor by night. My mind, heart, and body integrated into this really beautiful experience that continues to evolve and settle me.

I am humbled.

I am grateful.

Marie Belle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sure! I have a PhD in Psychology, absolutely love to teach, and am an athlete, artist, writer, community leader, and experience maker. I currently reside in Washington, DC and am in the process of making my vision of teaching 120+ people FREE yoga a reality. I recently received a grant from lululemon to teach a FREE 10 week yoga for runners program in DC and am super stoked.

Additionally, I am a globally recognized yoga teacher, expert in Somatic and Embodiment Practices for Reducing Stress, Developing Resilience, and Healing Trauma, and a Latina health coach and small business owner. I consider myself an anthropologist of movement, yoga, mindfulness, personal growth, and critical thinking throughout the United States, Caribbean, Latin America, Spain, and Bali.

I have two Bachelor’s degrees from North Carolina State University (Psychology and Communication), a Graduate Certificate (Women’s Studies), a Master’s degree (Biological and Developmental Psychology), and a Doctorate degree (Psychology: Social and Emotional Development) from Virginia Tech with a focus on Women as Active Constructors of Knowledge. I currently offer public yoga classes, workshops, teacher trainings, private and group coaching, and transformational retreats in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Bali. I also mentor, coach and offer counsel on an individual basis.

In addition, I am the founder of Roots Love Yoga, a Latina woman owned small business, yoga school, and creative multidisciplinary project with the purpose of uniting, educating, and inspiring teachers, artists, movers, intellectuals, healers, and world travelers. I have been featured in The Washington Post, People are Awesome, Mantra Magazine, Telemundo, Sweat Magazine, Peace Revolution, Active Life DC, and others. I currently live in Washington, DC with my 94-pound Silver Lab, Zion Zeus.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Practice what you teach. Your practice is its own currency.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Steadiness. I wasn’t and am not in a hurry.

I genuinely love what I do and am energized when I teach and share.
The community that builds around heart based projects that are grounded in daily practice is so inspiring!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mariebellepr.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariebellepr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsloveyoga
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbperezrivera/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariebellepr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarieBellePR
• Other: online courses, PDFs, community: https://www.rootsloveyoga.com/

Image Credits
Alvin Mitchell https://www.instagram.com/peoplenthiscity/?hl=en